It was a cultivator of the Human Clan from the Punishment Mansion!
Chi Yu was startled and angry, transforming into a streak of escape light, fleeing westward.
Not far away, two sword lights attacked, fast as thunder and lightning.
Passing by the azure pool which had already evaporated by half, one of the sword lights suddenly stopped, while the other continued the chase after the Demon Flood Dragon.
Zhao Qianqiu stopped in midair, a blue mini sword floating beside him, his gaze sweeping over the area below.
The area around the azure pool was in complete disarray, with fallen ancient trees and the carcass of a small deer, and the lake water that had just been blown up was now turning into raindrops, slowly falling.
Zhao Qianqiu realized there was nothing odd, and it wasn't a tactic to lure the tiger away from the mountain, so he hurriedly used his escape light, pursuing the Demon Flood Dragon.
High up in the sky, ten thousand feet above.
A black escape light fled in front, while two sword lights chased after it from behind.
The three had already passed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, from sunrise to sunset, from sunset to sunrise, but still, their speed did not decrease, even speeding up time and again, as if they were tireless giants chasing the sun.
The beings of the Demon Race naturally had strong physiques, and the Demon Flood Dragon in the Divinity Transformation Realm was inherently equipped with the divine skills of Cloud Formation and Rainfall, with vigorous strength and extremely fast speed.
But the two trailing sword lights, both Nascent Soul Realm Sword Cultivators from the Great Tranquility of the Human Clan, were not to be trifled with either. Equipped with numerous elixir pills and divine skills, they showed no signs of exhaustion, relentlessly pursuing without giving up.
One day, the trio passed over a bustling human city.
The entity known as Chi Yu suddenly burst out with a clump of black light, abruptly speeding up.
The two pursuing sword lights behind him, one also accelerated, leaving a series of sonic booms in its path as it continued the chase; yet another sword light once again stopped.
It was still Zhao Qianqiu, in the skies above the city, where he raised his right hand, a finger tracing over his brow to open a heavenly eye, luminous red sword markings on his cheeks, peering below at the human city.
Not long after, Zhao Qianqiu retracted his divine skills and turned to flee into the distance.
After he left, the city below continued to bustle as usual, as if no one had noticed anything that had just happened.
The streets were teeming with pedestrians, vendors moved ceaselessly, merchants called out along the streets.
In one corner of the street, a group of children surrounded a dark-faced old man holding a stick of candied haws.
Some covetous children tugged at the corners of their parents' clothes, whining sweetly.
Other children simply gazed longingly, their eyes filled with envy upon seeing other kids licking their candied haws.
The dark-faced old man, while collecting money, handed out candied haws, his face full of smiles. Suddenly, a small pale hand was placed in front of him, its palm holding two slightly worn copper coins. The old man turned to look, and saw a little boy in a red cotton-padded jacket, his thumb in his mouth, his innocent eyes filled with longing.
The old man's smile grew even wider. He took the two copper coins, reached for a candied haw from the rack, paused momentarily, replaced it, and handed a larger hawthorn fruit candied haw to the boy in the red jacket.
The boy in the red jacket happily accepted it, put down his saliva-coated finger, and started to savor the candied haw with relish.
At that moment,
A figure suddenly flashed high above the street—it was Zhao Qianqiu, returning once more.
Zhao Qianqiu had a grim expression. He inspected the city once again, more thoroughly, but still without finding anything, shook his head, and transformed into a sword light, disappearing in a blink.
The boy in the red jacket continued to eat his candied haw, only briefly glancing upward at one moment, then remained still.
Shortly after, high above the street, another figure abruptly appeared!
Zhao Qianqiu returned a second time, his brow deeply furrowed as he glanced below, then with a cold huff, he swept away his sleeve and left, continuing the chase after the Black Flood Dragon.
The boy in the red jacket's lips slightly curved upward. He waited a while longer and, seeing that no one else returned, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
A Divinity Transformation Realm Demon Flood Dragon's body, plus an external spirit body of a sun god, in exchange for his own life, was not a bad deal.
Chi Yu was soothing himself with some difficulty.
After all, that person had promised him that once he went there, he would be given the remains of an Ancient Demon Dragon in the Great Saint Realm. Not only could he reconstruct his physique, but he could also make further progress. Within a thousand years, reaching the Great Saint Realm was within reach!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but want to laugh, his thoughts involuntarily spreading out.
"Hahaha, I've endured you Punishment Mansion for a long time," he laughed heartily. "Killing the disciple of your Great Minister of Punishment, what can you do to me?"
Hahahahahaha.
Lucky to have met that person, not only did he do something to please himself, but someone also paved the way for him, and he would even gain a great opportunity afterward!
That person had arranged for someone in the southern Mountain and Water Cave of Zhi Shui Country to respond to him, ensuring his smooth escape, and would later send him over there. By then, I, Chi Yu, would truly achieve great Tranquility and everlasting life!
As Chi Yu's thoughts roamed wildly, atop a certain mountain a hundred miles from this Human Clan city, Zhao Qianqiu was sitting under a tree with his eyes closed in meditation. Suddenly, someone sent a message in his Heart Lake, and he abruptly opened his eyes, mounted his sword, and headed eastwards, towards Zhi Shui Country.
Meanwhile, in that human city, on a street, a little boy in a red cotton coat stood in the same spot, munching on a candied hawthorn.
Feeling exhilarated, he let his restless heart and mind wander even more.
"Hehe, I'm not afraid you won't come to save me; if I get caught, I'll divulge all of you. You wouldn't dare not save me, would you?"
If the deeds you've done against the Zhao family in Wangque Continent ever come to light, you'd have to face the fury of the Human Clan's great ancestor. By then, it won't just be the people from Tianya Sword Pavilion, but the Taia Sword Pavilion will send people personally, and could even draw the attention of that elector from the neighboring Tranquility State. Can you escape then?
No sooner had one thought ceased than another arose.
He couldn't help thinking about his experiences over the years. When he was but a young Dan Formation Realm Demon Flood Dragon, he was kept by a Cultivator of the Human Clan, nailed down with Dragon-locking Nails. That Cultivator planned to peel off his skin once he formed a Demon Core, extract his Flood Dragon Pill, and draw out the Dragon Tendons. Luckily, he got lucky: during the Cultivator's deviation, he broke free from the Array, devoured him, and obtained his Elixir Pills, Magical Treasures, and Divine Secret Skills—the first opportunity of the Great Dao. Since then, he had overcome thorns and obstacles to reach his current achievements and cultivation.
Over the years, although constantly controlled and monitored by cultivators from the Punishment Mansion, he had managed to bide his time and finally reached the Divinity Transformation Realm. He had thought that constrained by the laws of Punishment Mansion, he could never touch the Great Saint Realm again. However, unexpectedly, when hope was lost, that person came to him and offered a deal he couldn't refuse. The price was merely to help him with a little task—to annihilate the Zhao family of Anling Country, including that youth who was the direct disciple of the Punishment Mansion's Great Minister!
Thinking this, Chi Yu felt even more grateful to that person.
Hmm, what did that person say his name was? Why can't I suddenly remember, and why... does his face now seem so vague when I think back on it?!
The next moment, on the bustling street, a little boy in a red cotton coat eating candied hawthorn, still smiling and now glowing with an eerie red light, strange runes emerging all over his small body, as if conducting some dreadful ritual.
At this moment, Chi Yu felt his Nascent Soul burning intensely, a Demon Core loudly trembling, slowly developing cracks.
This was... Nascent Soul dissolution, self-detonation of the Demon Core!
It was only at this moment that he felt something was terribly wrong.
He tried to struggle, but he was deprived of the control over his Nascent Soul, his body stiffening on the spot.
So ruthless! Were they silencing him by death?!
Chi Yu was horrified and despaired.
His Nascent Soul and Demon Core were subject to unknown restrictions, and he couldn't understand when that person had done this.
His thoughts ceased, unable to stop the self-detonating Demon Core. He couldn't even recall clearly the face of the perpetrator. He could only watch as he and all the beings within a hundred miles around him were about to be obliterated!
On this corner of the street, a little boy in a red cotton coat gradually submerged in the overflowing red light, a catastrophic storm brewing, climbing step by step to its peak, the next second, a Divinity Transformation Realm Great Demon who had accumulated cultivation for nineteen hundred years was set to "level" this massive city of a million people.
However.
A withered hand.
As if passing through nothing, it extended into the chest of the little boy in the red cotton coat, ignoring the terrible rune restrictions on his skin, moving through the intense Soul Power protecting the Nascent Soul, and grabbed the already shattering Demon Core.
The storm subsided.
Like a candle flame being pinched out.